


The Obvious Choice

by Velace



Series: Random Moments [43]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: A little bit of fluff, A little more humour, F/F, Friends to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-15
Updated: 2018-01-15
Packaged: 2019-03-05 00:08:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13375956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Velace/pseuds/Velace
Summary: An offhand comment from their son leads Regina to a conclusion Emma has had for a very long time.





	The Obvious Choice

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Shipsterella](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shipsterella/gifts).



> Muse still isn't playing along and giving me what I want.

Emma is at her desk, staring off into space and completely ignoring her responsibilities. Regina is going to kill her, but if it means no more getting cramp in her hand from so much paperwork, she’s more than willing to take the risk. Daydreaming, she has decided, is a far more worthwhile waste of her time than writing yet another report detailing the continuing, thrilling saga of Grumpy and his alcohol addiction.

She used to think it was amusing, especially when there was a delay in someone calling her about him and he managed to use the time to his advantage and get absolutely shit-faced. In those instances, she’d find him outside the covenant, cursing Blue out. Truthfully, she still finds those times outrageously hilarious, but the rest of the time- the rest of time, it’s old and she’s tired of having to drag the angry little man back to the station every night so he can sober up.

Her phone rings, drawing her from the memory of her dinner with Regina last night. Their son’s name flickers on screen and she quickly snatches it up. Henry doesn’t call her often but when he does it’s usually because someone is in trouble. If he just wants to talk, or annoy her, then he generally sticks to text.

She barely has the phone against her ear when he speaks, her greeting dying on the tip of her tongue when he says, “Ma, can you come over?”

“Why?” She frowns. If he sounded panicked, she wouldn’t even bother asking but he doesn’t. He sounds nervous and like he thinks she might say no. She never has, but she supposes there’s a first time for everything. “What’s wrong?”

“Uh, Mom is freaking out?”

Interest piqued, her brow rises despite the fact he can’t see her, and she drawls, “Freaking out, how?”

“She’s kinda…” He hesitates, seemingly searching for the right word. “Um... frozen?”

“Frozen?”

“Yeah.” He sighs. “We were talking and I said something and she just…” There’s a pause where she imagines the face he makes. He does this thing where he looks thoughtful, but also pained; almost a grimace, but not quite. It’s a lot like when Regina refers to Snow; like she can’t quite believe she can talk about her _without_ insulting her. “Her eyes went really wide, and then she froze.”

That doesn’t sound good. “What did you say?”

“I… I don’t want to tell you.”

That _definitely_ doesn’t sound good. She reasons, “It’s probably why she froze, kid.”

“I know.”

Nodding, she questions, “And you know she’s probably going to tell me, right?”

“Yeah, but I’m going to Nick’s, so…”

Her mouth twitches. “You chicken.”

“You’re gonna come, right?”

“Course,” she replies. She always does. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

 

It takes her ten, five of which are spent cursing the coffee she accidentally poured on herself climbing into the bug. When she makes her way up the path to the mansion, Henry is waiting for her at the door and he gives her a strangely familiar look when he notices the mess she’d made of her shirt. She dismisses him with a wave of her hand and a muttered, “Don’t ask.”

“Wasn’t planning to,” he counters, stepping back from the door to let her inside.

“Good.” Entering, she tosses her car keys into the bowl beside the coat rack. “Where’s your mother?”

“Den,” he answers immediately. “I managed to get her onto the couch.”

“Alright.” She gestures to the door he hasn’t bothered to shut and teases, “You can go now, Mister Little.”

“Thanks ma.” He grins, already backing out onto the porch. “Love you.”

She smirks, head shaking and muttering, “Of course you do,” as she makes her way to the den.

Standing in the archway, she leans against the wall, one ankle crossed over the other as she takes in the sight of Regina. Henry wasn’t lying when he said she was frozen. She can’t recall a time she’d ever seen Regina sitting so stiffly.-

“You’d make a great statue.”

Brown eyes snap to her. “Emma!”

Genuinely surprised by the enthusiasm, she needs a moment to recover. Regina is rarely ever excited, and when she is, Emma would have thought it a cold day in hell before Regina was excited by the mere sight of _her_. “Wow,” she chuckles. “Okay.”

“Oh, Emma.” Falling limply back against the couch, Regina grins. “Our son is brilliant.”

She concedes, “You did raise him.”

“I did.” The grin widens and they kind of just stare at each other with _really_ dumb expressions. It’s weird, but also kinda great. They’ve come a long way. “You’re miserable with the pirate.”

“What?” The random, albeit accurate, truth bomb throws her off centre. “I… what?”

“He’s wrong for you,” Regina continues, “and I’m alone.”

The words are guilt inducing enough, but the pout she then shoots Emma is downright criminal. She’s so confused. “I’m sorry?”

Regina nods. “You promised me a happy ending.”

Frowning again, Emma offers, “Really sorry?”

“You should be with me.”

She is- stunned isn’t a strong enough word and speechless is an understatement but it’s a combination of the two, with a side of confusion and a dash of what the fuck. “What?”

Regina lurches forward suddenly, eyes hard, determination and- something else in her gaze. Emma doesn’t know if she should stand still and not make a sound, or turn around and flee in the hope of escaping any potential fireballs coming her way. “It makes perfect sense,” Regina insists.

“It does?” It’s not like she’s never considered it, but the fact Regina is the one insisting is… strange. Significant and one hundred percent responsible for the warmth taking up residence inside her chest, but still strange.

“Yes.”

“Um.”

“You seem hesitant to agree.”

She’s way more baffled than anything. “Well… I mean,” she stumbles over her words, not quite sure what she should say really. “I’m… you know; with the pirate.”

Regina cocks a brow. “So dump him.”

Easier said than done. “Don’t I get a choice?”

“You would choose him over me?” No. She doesn’t even need to think about it. If she’d known she had that choice, Hook would be a distant memory. “Are you blind? Stupid? Suffering from a severely low sense of self-worth?”

She bites her lip. Regina didn’t used to know her own worth- didn’t believe she was worth much of anything but now that she knows better, her confidence is extremely appealing. “No?”

“Then what’s the problem?”

She pushes from the wall and inches closer as she says, “I’m going to need you to back up and tell me what Henry said to put this idea into your head.”

If this is about his happiness and doing what Regina thinks he wants, then there’s nothing to think about. She loves their son with everything she has, but she made a promise to Regina, not him. She’s not going to concede to dating his mother because it will make him happy. Their relationship, whatever it happens to be now or in future, is about them. His happiness in that regard is merely a bonus.

Frowning, Regina questions, “Why is that relevant?”

“Because this whole thing is entirely out of left field and I’m really confused right now?” It’s not _the_ truth, but it is _a_ truth.

“Oh.” She looks away and Emma silently curses herself before those eyes are once again on her, less determined but more intent as Regina repeats, “Entirely out of left field?”

“Well…” No. Obviously not, but Regina can hardly read her mind.

“Yes?”

“Not entirely,” she admits.

“Oh.” There’s a flicker of a smile that Emma mirrors.

“Yeah.”

Regina tilts her head. “How not out of left field?”

Laughing quietly, Emma crouches in front of her and places a hand on her knee. “Seriously, what did the kid say?”

Gaze dropping to her hand, Regina smiles more widely this time before slipping her own over top of it. “Just that he thought we’d be the ones who ended up together.”

 

Turning the hand over, Emma entwines their fingers as the relief floods through her. Henry might have planted a seed but this, she realizes, is all Regina. “It does kind of make sense.”

“I already said that.”

“I’m a little on the slow side,” she drawls.

“I appreciate your honesty,” Regina teases, cracking a grin as she says, “and I adore all of your flaws.”

Tongue clicking against the roof of her mouth, Emma mock chides, “I haven’t agreed yet, and already you’re lying to me.”

“Bad habits.”

She raises a brow. “Hard to break?”

Regina smirks and corrects, “Easier not to bother.”

“Sure.”

They’re back to staring, the dumb expressions returning to their faces. Regina’s is all affection and adoration, and Emma’s; she’s fairly confident her face is so stupidly awestruck and in love that she really won’t be surprised when Regina is overcome by a sudden bout of nausea and throws up on her. The frequency with which they stare at each other in this way; she sincerely doubts their dating will come as a shock to anyone.

“Well?”

She shrugs. “I guess?”

“How romantic.”

Like she can talk.

“Kiss it, your Majesty.”

“If you insist.”

Before she can process the words, Regina dips down and claims her mouth. Emma instantly closes her eyes, lips soft and warm, and doing such wonderful things to her body that the warmth of affection in her chest is replaced by the heat of an altogether different kind and she’s overwhelmed by the urge to rise up and climb into Regina’s lap.

Fortunately, before she’s lost complete control of her faculties and taken them a step too far for the moment, Regina pulls back, sucking on her lower lip as she goes.

Emma opens her eyes and for lack of anything better to offer, she breathes, “Wow.” She has never been so turned on in her life, _especially_ not from something as simple as a kiss- a reasonably chaste one, at that.

“Indeed.”

Clearing her throat, she murmurs, “Just so we’re clear; I was referring to my ass.”

“What can I say?” Regina grins as she straightens. “I have better ideas, but we’ll get to that later.”

“Well then.” If Emma wasn’t in before, she sure as hell is _now_. She quickly stands. “I’ll be back in a bit.”

Brow furrowing, voice a tad too high to be anything other than confused, Regina questions, “Where are you going?”

“To unleash a pirate.”


End file.
